Wood Cover for Spiral Drawing Book

I screwed up... BIG TIME.

I took the cover off of my spiral drawing book to decorate it by embroidering a pattern on it (but that's another instructable). As it was waiting for me to finish the job, I knocked it into the mop bucket. Yes, my friends, I dropped the perfect cover that I had spent hours poking holes in so I could embroider a design into it in the yucky, dirty mop water, thus ruining it. Since I like wood-burning, I decided to make a new cover out of 3 mm wood plaques I bought at the craft store for another project. They were almost the perfect size, just an inch too wide. I promised my FB pyrography group instructions on how to do it, so here they are. HEY, guys!

3 mm craft wood, cut to the size of the book cover you want to replace

drill bit the size of the holes in your cover

drill

pencil

Clamps

sander and/or sandpaper

clear protectant (Verathane, Mod Podge)

woodburning tool (optional)

paint (optional)

Dremel (optional)

basically whatever you need to decorate your cover, or you can leave it plain wood

Remove the covers by prying the wire spirals open and pulling both covers off (you must pull the back cover off to pull the front cover off). Use one of the covers as a pattern for the rest of this step

Take your 3 mm (or thinner) wood and cut it down (if needed) to match the size of your book's cover. Next, you can either draw with a pencil where the holes need to go or just use the cover to make sure they are straight. either way, you'll need to clamp your cover to your wood. Using a drill with a bit the size of the holes in your cover, drill the row of holes out and sand the whole thing with your sander or sandpaper.

I burned a quote on my book, but you can use paint or decoupage or whatever you want. drill more holes with a smaller bit and embroider it like I was originally planning on doing. Use a Carvey or other DNC machine to put a pretty design on the front. Whatever you like to make it yours.

This step may also be optional, but I highly recommend it so I didn't put optional in the title. Use a clear coating to seal the cover and let it dry. Check your favorite hardware or craft store. I used Mod Podge Matte, but you could use Verathane or any other clear sealant.

Place the front of the front cover against the back cover (If the back has sides like the front, make sure the outside face is against the front's outside face). Slide the rings into the holes ( front cover should go first) then pinch the binding closed. The ends of the spirals should meet inside the back cover.

All finished! Isn't it pretty? You almost can't see the hole in the front. I hope you enjoy your new book as much as I like mine. I looked forward to seeing other takes on this project!